When Camp Godling Finds Out
by Icaneatpopcorn
Summary: Percy and the gang thought they would finally have a peaceful summer vacation at Camp Half-Blood. Little did they know, they've been spotted by a camp much stronger than theirs. And for that other camp, they want their honor back.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

The Council, consisted of teenage gods respectively, roamed around the wide, circular room. The 14 tall seats were for the senior counselors of the children of the Olympians or for their representatives in the case of Artemis and Hera. Every Fridays they had meetings, unless of course something huge came up. And today was a Wednesday. So something _definitely _huge must've come up.

"Why do I have to be here?" The youngest of the counselors grumbled.

"You are still a counselor," said the daughter of Hephaestus.

"I know that," he spat. "But I'm only 15. You should've gotten Grace."

A very pretty girl crinkled her nose, making her perfect makeup smudged. "Grace? You must be kidding, Oliver! She hasn't the least idea when it comes to _fashion_."

"Now, now, Fiona. Grace is older, yes, but Oliver is wiser at such a young age," Warren, son of Ares, said.

"That's not how it works! I should be 18!" Oliver truly didn't like his position in the Council.

"Don't speak too loud," a girl in floral prints with a hippie band around her head interjected. "We can find peace with reasoning, youngster. Intelligence has age, too. Yours, in this case, is probably older than 18."

"What are you - "

The large marble doors swung open and out came Zeke, the son of Zeus. He looked like his father, with close-cropped black hair and terrifying blue eyes. Obviously, he was the highest in command in the Council.

"Sit," he ordered.

Without any questions, the 13 counselors slumped back into their seats.

Zeke walked to his chair and sat down as well. "I have found news that may interest you."

"Nothing will be as interesting as that of my harvests sprouting at an incredible rate," the girl in floral prints remarked.

"Not now, Sabine," someone whispered.

"While I was on a daily flight with Malcolm, my eagle," Zeke said, ignoring Sabine's comment. "I happened to pass by New York - "

The son of Dionysus snorted. "Ha! Bet you forgot to buy us fries this time!"

"Goodness, Daniel, won't you ever shut up!" said a handmaiden of Artemis.

"Silence!"

Everybody shut up.

Zeke continued. "When I passed by New York, I noticed a field full of warriors - some with amazing strength and some with unbelievable abilities - and that of satyrs."

"And so?" Oliver inquired. He always saw satyrs running around grocery stores.

"And so, I spotted the famous Percy Jackson!" Zeke snapped.

_This _was big news.

Warren, who wasn't the usual angry type, looked furious. "Percy Jackson! The one who defeated my honorable father once!"

The counselors all looked wary. You would've expected pandemonium, but none moved much. Some shifted uncomfortably in their seats, others were breathing heavily. They all knew Percy Jackson lived in New York. But in a field training?

"Oh, no. Not another..." Fiona trailed off.

"I knew it. I always felt _their _presence every time I visit the Land of the Dead," Louis, Hades's son, said in disgust.

"I'm sure we all know what to do. By Percy Jackson defeating Kronos, he put us in a weak position, making our parents think we're not strong enough. The demigods have stolen our honor and dignity and they must repay," Zeke concluded.

The others nodded in agreement.

Just as the daughter of Poseidon began to speak, the doors slammed open. An old, limping satyr appeared. His face was beet red with anger, and the way he walked gave the counselors the shivers.

"What is your business?" Zeke asked.

The satyr exclaimed, "She's back! She's finally back! Worse than ever before! She got into a brawl with Martha!"

"Shall I call for mother's flock of owls?" suggested Oliver.

"Do, please!" begged the satyr.

Penelope, daughter of Poseidon, sighed. "It is true her mother is the symbol of bravery. But she is _too _brave."

"And a troublemaker like her father!"

Arthur frowned. "Don't speak of my father like that."

"Meeting adjourned," Zeke announced. "We have godlings to attend to. Let's hope Cassandra didn't break Martha's nose the same way she did to Daphne."

* * *

><p><strong>And yep, that's the prologue. The senior counselors are just some OCs I made up. The other characters will appear in the next chapters. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!<strong>


	2. I: Cassandra

**I**

**Cassandra**

I was sitting on a bench watching an old lady feed her poodle while I was listening to her sound - a cheerful music played by bagpipes and, though smells weren't usually included in my synesthesia, I hinted the faint scent of tobacco and peppermint - when a nymph approached me.

The nymph was easy for me to identify despite her convincing disguise as a British schoolgirl in braids. The chlorophyll in her skin was noticeable to me. Plus, her sound was that of a bird chirping.

I stood up from my seat. "A nymph? That's quite rare. Uncle would usually call for hellhounds."

She huffed. "Hades's concern is not for you. I came because I noticed how late you were."

"I won't go because I can take care of myself perfectly, thank you," I said, smiling.

"It's for your own safety."

"I can take care of myself," I frowned.

"I shall have none of that!" the nymph declared. "If I were you, I'd watch my foot."

"Huh?"

The earth below me trembled. Well, not in a human way. Before I knew it, the ground opened and sucked me in like those - wait, what was it? Oh, yeah. Like those vacuums.

~0~

It was only when I was shot up through the sky and fall on someone when I realized what the nymph meant.

Turns out I landed on Gen, daughter of Acthonian and Oceanus.

Heaven forbid.

Her golden green eyes locked with mine. Maybe she would make me see my own nightmare or bury me back to the earth again. Not that I was afraid or anything. I just don't like going back there.

She tried to stand up, only when she was trying, Martha and her posse were strutting to the walkway of hanging flowers. And they tripped. Well, Martha tripped.

Gen's face contorted with shock. "Oh my gods, Martha. I'm so sorry."

"What?" I interrupted.

"You've done it this time, Dillert," Martha fumed.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye: Martha lunged for Gen and started pulling her chocolate brown hair. What's weird was why didn't they just use their godly abilities to get it over with? Then I remembered. We weren't allowed to.

I jumped up from the floor and pushed Gen away from Martha. "If there's anyone you're going to wrestle to death, you might as well pick on someone your own size."

"_You_!" Martha jabbed her finger in my direction. "You're back! You conceited, overconfident, bi - "

"Nice to see you, too," I smiled.

Campers started encircling us. Most of them started murmuring, "Cassandra's back and worse than ever."

Ugh, excuse me. They don't even know the whole story.

"What brought _you_ here?" she asked in disgust.

"Camp Godling wouldn't be Camp Godling without me!" I said, outraged.

"Hmph. It even gets worse with you around," said Lance, son of Eris and Hephaestus. I knew he was joking, but still.

Martha kicked me in the shin. Intentionally. "We didn't even miss you, _Sandy_."

Shin. Intentionally. Sandy.

Oh, she's going down.

I threw myself on top of her and we began struggling. She cupped my neck, preventing the air from entering, and I punched her stomach to get her filthy hands away from my neck. Martha swung her arm on my face and even without a mirror, I knew my cheek would swell.

"Maybe if you didn't have that stupid pride of yours, you wouldn't be stealing other people's opponents!"

"Maybe if you weren't so sensitive, I wouldn't have called you a wimp!"

"You didn't call me a wimp!"

"Oops."

My remark made her use her godly powers. I've never seen them before, but since she was a daughter of Aphrodite and somebody I didn't have the heart to know, I guess a mirror would appear and flick me in the head.

Sadly, I was wrong.

Godlings started making their way towards me. They were being hypnotized. Again, I wasn't afraid, but I was panicking. I started to hear loud gongs and wailing women. I wasn't sure what I did, but I aimed at her to snap it out.

"OH MY GODS, YOU BROKE MY NOSE!" Martha screamed at the top of her stupid lungs.

The campers were brought back to reality and they looked at us, confused. Before anyone could comment, the 14 senior counselors appeared before us. Well, maybe 13 senior counselors plus 1 squirt counselor, if we're talking about Oliver. They all looked at us with their impassive faces.

I immediately stood up.

Campers filed out.

Martha and Gen stayed behind with me.

The fat, limping satyr was panting.

"Oh, hello!" I smiled. "I'm back."

Zeke, the alpha of the pack, narrowed his eyes. "Yes, I can see that."

"Welcome back!" Sabine, Demeter's hippie daughter, said with an embrace.

"You finally came," Oliver squirt-counselor said bluntly. I knew him by face, but that was all. So, yes, this was our very first conversation. Oliver turned to look at me and I noticed that his eyes were a stunning turquoise color. His brown hair was tousled and it flopped a few inches below his eyebrow. In this case, his hair flopped when he turned to me.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" I tried hard not to snap. Really tried.

"I am Oliver Dainard, son of Athena and Kratos," he said. "I believe you are the infamous Ca - "

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'll make my own introduction," I cleared my throat. "I am Cassandra Aporete, daughter of Arete and Apollo. As you can see, I got my last name by combining the names of my parents. Cool, huh?"

All I got was a long, lingering stare.

"What happened here?" Zeke broke the tension. He looked at me, Gen, and Martha, then back to me.

Martha spoke - shrieked, rather - first. "Gen made me trip. We had a fistfight. All of a sudden, that brat Cassandra butted in!"

"It's not like I _wanted _my foot to make you trip," Gen rolled her eyes.

"Why you - "

"Enough!" Penelope ordered. "Cassandra?"

I sighed. "It's true. Whatever Martha said was true."

"And why did you but in?"

"I wanted to show Martha I was better and stronger than her. How else would I do that than to interrupt a brawl?" I shrugged innocently. This wasn't true. I only butted in because Martha was close to killing Gen. Of course, I wouldn't say that.

"I see," Zeke nodded. "There will be due punishme - "

"What?" Gen asked. "Cassandra is lying. She only wanted to help me out!"

Everybody looked at me.

I glanced at Gen. "Why would I help you? It's not like you couldn't handle Martha yourself. I just wanted an opponent who's good enough for me to beat."

"Stop it! My foot was in Martha's way when she was walking. When you landed from the sky - "

"Landed from the sky?" Oliver raised his eyebrows.

" - sure, I fell down. But my foot was totally at fault!"

I frowned. "That's not even a valid excuse. You said yourself you wouldn't have fallen down if it weren't for me. So in some sense, I fought my own battle."

"Hello. Martha is still here," Martha said in a matter-of-factly tone.

"I don't care," I snapped.

Zeke took the chance to speak before Martha and I could tackle each other again. "We will discuss this matter later. Cassandra, follow us. You may have helped Gen or not, but you still need to be punished for coming mid-summer."

"Fine," I said rather indignantly.

~0~

They discussed the matters in their meeting hall. I sat in the middle of the 14 tall chairs and let my synesthesia kick in. Hey, it was too quiet. Whenever I looked at the daughter of Hephaestus, Aramina, I think, I could hear the sounds of metal clanging. When I would turn my gaze to the handmaiden of Artemis, it was the sound of running water that I could hear.

"Explain," said Fiona. It was pretty obvious that she was on Martha's side given she was her half-sister.

"Explain? I thought we did that awhile ago?" I asked.

Fiona was impatient. "Ugh, no! I mean, explain why you only appear now. Camp started 3 weeks ago and attendance is a must."

"I can explain," I said. "You see, I thought you wouldn't notice me gone since godling rates have increased. I admit I don't like going to camp. It's like going to school."

"I'd notice you gone even if I were drunk," Daniel said, taking a swig of his Coke.

"Nobody gets drunk with Coke," a representative of Hera said.

"True," agreed Sabine. "Only high-blood pressure."

"_Anyway_," Oliver interjected.

"Anyway, since you have skipped half of camp, you will be doing community service," Zeke announced.

I eyed him suspiciously. "Is that all?"

"Yes."

"No confiscation of belongings?"

"Nope."

"No extra month at camp?"

"Nope."

"You'll allow me to eat dinner, breakfast, and lunch?"

"Cassandra, one more question and I may take away your advantages of food," Zeke pointed out.

I began to stand up. "Oh, well, if that's all, I'm going now. You know, I actually thought you'd guys let me go somewhere and kill a horrid beast or something. Or maybe pull a prank on some people." I stopped when I realized what I just said. "Like a good prank."

The senior counselors exchanged looks.

"If that were the case..." Arthur, my half-brother, said. "Would you do it?"

"Hey, I've got nothing to fear. Literally. Do I have to remind you who my mom is?"

"Answer it seriously," Oliver grumbled.

"Then yes. I will," I said.

The Council began murmuring about things. It took them about 3 minutes before they could stop and realize that it was rude to whisper in front of a guest.

Zeke nodded. "Very well. We will decide upon this tonight. You may come if you want."

Now, that's a first.

~0~

In Camp Godling we didn't have any cabins. We had our own sanctuaries. Say, if a daughter of Poseidon felt safe underwater, then that's her home. My sanctuary was a treehouse.

There was no ladder going up or down because I wanted to work physically, so I climbed up using the vines that draped over my treehouse. Outside, my sanctuary looked like a wooden cottage. Inside, it still looked like what a cottage would look inside and it smelled of pine.

Once inside, I was greeted by my living room of white furnitures in wooden frames. My flat-screen TV was mounted on top of my chimney. There was no kitchen, since we eat at the pavilion, so the next rooms I had were the bathroom and bedroom.

You must be wondering how a treehouse had a chimney. Well, it's really hard to explain since nothing is what it seems here.

I was able to get a glimpse of myself when I passed by my full-body mirror. My long, black hair was a disaster. It reached half of my spinal column, yet everything was scrunched up it looked shorter. My amber eyes were the same as ever.

After taking a shower, I headed to the weaponry room to claim my golden bow and arrows. We weren't allowed to keep it.

I wouldn't want to narrate what happened during those 15 minutes of me perfectly nocking arrows to bore you. So right when the sun set, I made my way back to the meeting hall.

I must say it was the longest walk ever. I knew I was going to be late for dinner. It was getting unusually dark, and all the more I was determined to walk slowly to test how brave I was.

Darn it. If only the field (place where I trained) was close to the meeting hall.

The sound of a snarling beast filled the night. I must've let my synesthesia work by accident. Shrugging it off, I continued and ignored the noise. Only nothing was bloody happening.

"That's weird," I said aloud. "It always seems to work."

Just in time, the sound quieted.

And a vicious, ravenous hellhound jumped out and charged for me.

* * *

><p><strong>To those who don't know, Cassandra is supposed to be overconfident and somehow arrogant. Oh, and if you're interested, Arete is the goddess of valor. For Oliver's dad, Kratos is the god of strength and power. More characters will appear in the next chapter. :)<strong>

**Thanks and review REVIEW REVIEW!**


	3. II: Annabeth

**II**

**Annabeth**

"Can you believe it?" Percy asked, dazed. "Can you really _believe _it?"

"Jackson, this is literally the two hundredth and ninety-third time you've said that," Tj sighed. She must've gotten tired because she didn't scold him the first few times he has repeated it.

Percy shrugged. "Hey, you wouldn't understand. You only came this summer before the Titan War and - " He stopped, probably thinking of a word on how to describe last year's events. "The Second Great Prophecy," he settled.

The ever oblivious son of Poseidon didn't notice Tj's blue eyes directed pointedly at him. I could tell she wanted to strangle him until he turned into a kelp.

"Seaweed Brain, just because Gaia's gone doesn't mean there's already World Peace. There may be a Third Great Prophecy," I interjected.

"Stop being such an...Owl Head," he said.

"_May_. I said may."

We passed by the lake. Nymphs were singing harmoniously and, from what we could make up, we saw Alaine Sawyer and Noah Ellis spying on Travis and Connor Stoll spying on nymphs. Seriously, it's 6 am in the morning. How can a child of Apollo and sons of Hermes wake up so early?

Anyway, I still wasn't used to camp being so peaceful. Not that I wanted any chaos. Camp Jupiter and Half-Blood have finally come to terms, but the former still resides in San Francisco. The gods and goddesses are, well, the same (when I mean the same, I mean _same _same. Hera still hates me).

But why do I still feel bothered?

I felt Tj suddenly stiffen. "Tom?" she said.

I turned to see her British half-brother sitting under a tree. Tom flipped his black hair and looked at us. He was handsome for a son of Aphrodite, I admit, though Kelp Head will always be good-looking to me (don't you _dare _tell anyone!).

Tom stood up and wiped the dirt off his jeans. He walked closer to us, and we just stared at him as he approached. He then eyed Tj from her rubber shoes until her brown hair.

"Hullo, Tj," he acknowledged.

"Hey," she replied simply.

Tom smiled and even I could tell Tj was a little smitten since her eyes widened just by a bit. Percy just stared and stared at him. "Well, that's all, actually. Came over to say hi to you."

"Hey, what about me and Annabeth?" Percy whined.

"Hi then," Tom said. He began to yawn. "I'll be going back to the Aphrodite cabin now. Those people by the lake are too noisy."

We watched him go back to where the cabins are. Once he was out of our eyesight and earshot, we all suddenly exhaled.

Tj shivered. "That dude gives me the creeps."

Percy raised his eyebrows, considering. "I don't know. He seems nice."

~0~

Before we could even separate to our own different tables to eat breakfast, Chiron called for all the senior counselors for an important meeting. It wasn't one of those very serious meetings. Nowadays Chiron would call us to talk about logistics or a broken vending machine. I guess he wasn't used to camp being peaceful, too.

We all took our seats around the table. Mr. D looked bummed because he wasn't able to eat his breakfast, so with a wave of his hand, a plate full of waffles and butter and maple syrup appeared on top of his part of the table.

"So what's up, Chiron?" I asked, trying very hard to ignore the other counselors salivating over Mr. D's meal.

Chiron just looked at me. I knew in his face that something was wrong, though there was something uncertain about it. Like he was struggling with his doubts and things he knew.

The centaur cleared his throat. "I will not beat around the bush. Days after our victory last year, I've sensed a strong force penetrating in Camp Half-Blood. Fortunately, it is not stronger than the Titans or Gaia. But sadly, it is as equal as the Olympians themselves."

The room became silent. It was a gesture for Chiron to continue.

"Rachel?" Chiron prompted.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare, the camp's Oracle, stood up. "I've had visions these days. Well, actually more of like flashes. Flashes of battle scenes and..." she trailed off.

"Well?" Clarisse asked impatiently.

"And of people I've never seen before," Rachel continued. She looked as if she thought she was crazy herself.

"It could be my dear aunt Marga," Lou Ellen said.

"No, no, no," Rachel said quickly. "There's something about them. I just can't put my finger on it."

Percy looked furious. "I thought it was all over. Don't tell me my girlfriend's right!"

I would've been pissed if I hadn't realized what Percy said. He was obviously referring to the so-called Third Great Prophecy I predicted.

Within a blink of an eye, before I could even reply, before Mr. D could drink his Diet Coke, before Piper could slap Leo's hands from grabbing Mr. D's extra waffles, Rachel suddenly recoiled. Her back arched and she would have collapsed on the floor if Will hadn't postioned her on her chair.

The room became eerily dark. We watched in horror as green mist circled the Oracle's foot. Once again, we felt that familiar, spine-tingling sensation. It was terror. Mr. D just watched, his mouth gaped open.

When Rachel opened her mouth, the green spew came out as well. Her already emerald eyes shined even brighter than before. Rachel's voice was that unmistakable one. Like a hundred of her were talking at the same time. She said,

_Deep in the heart where the giants dwell_

_Lies the lost instrument needed to quell_

_The seven of hero's blood shall rise_

_And retrieve the item before the third sunrise_

_Beware of the sea's wrath that will be the cause_

_For Asclepius' stalwart kin's final pause_

With that, Rachel slumped back into her seat and finally regained consciousness.

~0~

"There is seriously something wrong with that prophecy," said Felicity Rose. "First of all, what do we need to quell?"

Felicity was pacing back and forth the Athena cabin, her wavy honey blonde hair flowing behind her. She was deep in thought right after I told her the prophecy. Chiron didn't confirm whether it was a Third Great Prophecy, but if it weren't, it was still pretty serious.

"And then the lost instrument. It could be _anything_," Felicity continued.

"It's the last two lines that are bothering me," I said truthfully. "Somebody's going to...pause." The real word stuck in my throat. If somebody was going to die in the end, then he or she might as well not go.

Felicity stopped pacing abruptly. "Wait. Asclepius' stalwart kin? Asclepius' _sibling_? Then surely a demigod is not going to die!"

"Either way, nobody deserves to...pause."

The sound of a conch horn being blown filled the whole camp. I immediately stood up from my bed (I was sitting down, you see) and my other siblings woke up from their stupor. We all headed outside Cabin 6.

It was still 8 am in the morning, yet it felt like a day passed by. The sun was blaring and making us all sweat. From the corner of my eye, I saw Percy run towards me, his face urgent. He stood beside me and whispered, "I need to tell you something."

"Mhm," I said, not really paying attention.

A group of teenage girls emerged. They all wore matching silver parkas, and what really took our attention was the unnatural yet healthy glow of their skins. A sign of their immortality.

The girl with black hair stepped forward. A thin diadem circled her head and even if she didn't wear one, she was obviously the leader. "We heard about what's happening and we're here to help," Thalia said.

"You will be escorted to Cabin 8," Chiron said.

"Annabeth," Percy called me. He looked nervous.

"Later."

"It's really important!"

"Okay, fine. What?" I gave up.

"After the meeting, when I want back to - "

"You guys all right?" a voice interrupted.

We whipped our heads to see Thalia right in front of us. We seemed to be too absorbed in what we were talking about that people were already starting to file out for camp activities.

I managed to say something first. "Oh, hey, Thalia! We've missed you."

She narrowed her eyes.

"Seriously, Bird Brain," Percy said.

Thalia gave Percy a menacing glare. "I've been away for months and now you dare make a nickname for me? How would you like it if I called you Merman? Or what about Aqua Man? I've got a list, Fish Poop."

"Hey, I never went as far to call you Bird Dung!"

"Bird Dung?" I raised my eyebrows.

"It was a last minute thing," Percy muttered.

A Hunter of Artemis with blonde hair that was braided and violet eyes approached the Lieutenant of Artemis. "Thalia, the cute Stolls are at it again. They've pranked Phoebe."

"Not again," Thalia sighed. "Wait, _cute _Stolls? Mac Hadley, you are a Hunter yet you flirt with boys!"

~0~

Percy and I had canoeing together, so we were able to talk about what happened a while ago.

"Somebody will pause!" I gritted my teeth. Percy failed to see what bothered me most. All he kept worrying about was whether Gaia had risen again because of the giants that were mentioned in the prophecy.

We were seated together on a boat on the lake, adjusting the sails and determining the distance. Actually, Seaweed Brain was doing all the work since he was, for the first time, good at a subject (I'm just kidding).

"You don't get it, Annabeth," Percy said. "I mean, listen. Asclepius' sibling will d - " I glared at him. " - er, _pause_ because of the sea's wrath. I think I'm to blame," he said guiltily.

"Sea's wrath could mean Bessie."

"Hey, Bessie is completely harmless!"

I sighed. "My point being there are other sea monsters out there. You couldn't possibly pause a person."

"I don't know..." Percy trailed off.

"Anyway, what's this thing you were going to tell me? The really important one?" I asked.

Percy's eyes lit up. "Oh, that!"

I waited.

Percy continued, "After the meeting, when I went back to my cabin, I decided to take a short nap. You know demigods. They have premonitions. So I started seeing this circular room with tall chairs with teenagers seated on top of it. They were talking about this certain place that was a 'hindrance,'" he quoted.

"Go on," I urged impatiently. The story was getting interesting.

"Okay, okay, chill," he said. "The teenagers started talking about a spy. That they needed to learn more about this 'hindrance.' All of a sudden this loud beast sound filled the whole place. Then the dude with cropped black hair said that he already had a job for - "

Percy wasn't able to finish. A large boulder shot through the sky and hit our boat, thus making us topple over and splash into the water. Luckily Percy made a huge bubble to prevent us from getting wet.

"So who was this job for?" I asked once we raised our heads from the water.

Percy made a weird, choking sound. He inhaled and exhaled before saying, "Cassandra Aporete."

* * *

><p><strong>Whaddya guys think of the prophecy? I made it at the last minute. Anyway, I was thinking of alternating characters between Cassandra and another. Like if the first was Cassandra and second was Annabeth, then third would be Cassandra again but the fourth would be somebody else. Get my drift?<strong>

** How was the chapter? I know it's shorter compared to the first but I really wanted to finish it so you guys could read it immediately. BTW, more characters will appear in the following chapters, don't worry.**

**Review! Oh, and Merry Christmas! =)**


	4. III: Cassandra

**III**

**Cassandra**

The water nymphs tugged rather hard at the thin piece of cloth, tightening its composition over my was-bloody wound located on my right thigh. Under normal circumstances, normal people would have yowled and screamed - for goodness' sake, a friggin' _hellhound _jumps at you and almost tears your leg out - but I just winced, hardening my grip on the wooden cushioned seat, breathlessly muttering, "Ow ow ow ow ow ow."

I was inside the meeting hall, sitting in the center of the room, practically looking like I was on the verge of dying. I swear, if Martha were here, she'd declare this whole thing was karma. Yeah, okay, too bad she wasn't. Ever since the despicable little dog had pounced on me and had had me scream like a girl (luckily I was all alone that time), causing me to, at first, tackle it to the ground, but, unfortunately, had me decide that my efforts and plan were futile; I had decided upon sprinting. And the dog had been able to catch up and claw at my leg. Admittedly, I had writhed in pain, and Lance - remember the guy who commented this morning? - came just in time to s_hoo _the hellhound away. I would have looked like a corpse had I not ended up laughing as Lance had helped carry me inside the hall in the first place.

"You're lucky I was within walking distance," Lance repeated once again with a smirk. He was leaning against one of the tall chairs, his messy black hair arranged in a way that made a few of the nymphs, who were healing me, blush. Apparently the chair he was leaning on was Oliver's, and the latter didn't look pleased.

"You're lucky you didn't get bitten." I narrowed my eyes then, forcing my face muscles to look kind and sweet and loving. Ugh, I couldn't be mean even if I wanted to. He _did _help.

Zeke said, "You should get some rest. We can have this meeting tomorrow."

He and the rest of the senior counselors stood scattered around the high-ceilinged room. Now that I had more time to observe the place, there were massive individual banners draped just above each of the 14 chairs; the symbols of the counselors' Olympian parent or employer weaved into rich colors. There was a dove in a red banner for Aphrodite and a tropical blue banner with a peacock for Hera. Hopefully, my crane will be there too (as if).

Anyway, the fact that the senior counselors actually looked _concerned _about my state immensely amused me. It wasn't really easy to spot - Zeke's eyebrows were a teensy bit furrowed, Penelope had a small frown, and Oliver watched me through unwavering teal eyes - but it was still something.

"Are you kidding me?" I raised an eyebrow. "I've come all this way" - Lance looked at me indifferently - "Crippled, mind you - and you're just going to tell me to walk back to my Sanctuary? That's the dumbest thing you could tell a wounded person."

"Would you look at yourself, Cassandra?" Zeke asked.

I looked at myself.

"That was a rhetorical question," he muttered. "Anyway, I will have the water nymphs escort you back to your..."

"Tree house," I supplied.

"Yes, tree house," Zeke said slowly.

I nodded matter-of-factly. "Thing is, Zeke, I'm not going. I appreciate that you're all worried about me - " The senior counselors practically turned around. " - But I can deal with this pain. Come on. Just tell me what you were supposed to tell me."

Arthur - my half-brother - shrugged. Out of the hundreds of siblings I had, I had to say Arthur was the most fortunate to have been liked by me. He used to be one of those typical elder brothers whom you got along with. When I was younger, and he was probably ten, we had actually been so close. I couldn't say it was the same right now. It was as if all of your ties with a person was immediately cut away once that person became a counselor. I mean, how else would these fourteen people act if they became legal gods or goddesses?

"Let's just tell her, Zeke," Arthur said. "She's already here."

"Yeah, just tell me, Zeke," I agreed. "I'm already here."

The aforementioned sighed. In a flourish he took a seat in his really tall chair, and the other thirteen followed. One of the water nymphs placed a flower behind my ear before she followed her companions out of the meeting hall. Honestly, things were getting exciting. Zeke opened his mouth, and then closed it - his lightning blue eyes shifted gaze to Lance, who was still leaning against Oliver's chair.

Lance's brown eyes flew to me expectantly. With a dragging sigh, I said, "Let him stay. He..." I paused. "He..." Paused. "He... he _saved _my life." I felt like vomiting.

Zeke nodded. "Very well."

And then with a grand flick of his hand, the meeting hall's lights dimmed. The majestic banners seemed to glow unnaturally in the dark. The only light that came inside the circular room was the pale moon, which shone along with the night stars, its rather faint beams piercing through the glass ceilings. An orb of a mist suddenly appeared right before me. The mist pulled apart, slowly, slowly, as if dissolving into the stillness of the air, until the center of it fragmented blurry flashes of vibrant colors. It then focused into a picturesque scene of vast greenery with a big lake at the side.

"Long Island?" I asked. _What_?

"Yes, Cassandra." Surprisingly, it was hippie Sabine who had spoken. I averted my gaze towards her. Unlike a few hours ago, Sabine's innocent and lively face was now transformed into sternness. Her dark hair was in a low braid in contrast to her hair that had been flowing just this morning. "Omichli, please show us another," she said.

Omichli - the mist - slammed and compressed with a jolt. The fog swirled together in a flash, slapping my face with harsh and cold winds. It slowly came to a stop until it expanded again: this time I could see an image of a boy with black hair and green eyes holding a golden rod with an eagle on top.

It took me decades to stare at the boy, blankly, and without any recognition. And then something inside of me snapped. "Is that _Percy Jackson_?" I asked, my eyes wide.

Oh, this was definitely exciting.

"Yup," Daniel - son of Dionysus - said. Although I couldn't clearly see him, I could tell he was holding a canned soda, what with the clanking and sound of liquid splashing and all.

I sat straighter. "Why are you showing him to me?" To be honest, I kind of thought Percy Jackson was cool. I had heard countless number of tales about this swash-buckling hero who defeated Kronos _and_ Gaea. Of course, he was only second to me. Who exactly had beaten Hecatonchires when she had needed to go inside Tartarus for just a little moment? But that's a whole different story.

As if on cue, Omichli shut again and swished around in its bundle. My reflexes were fast, so I pushed the cushioned chair I was sitting at away from Omichli, barely wincing as the wound on my thigh felt like it was being mutilated.

Omichli opened to reveal a wooden arc that read, 'Camp Half-Blood.'

That was all I needed to know.

"A camp?" I asked outrageously. My voice was actually shaking. If it weren't for the darkness of the room, the rest of the living organisms who were in the same place with me would have seen my red face. There was that tiny rumbling in my chest, that burning fire coursing through my veins, and that very strange feeling that made my body sluggish. I didn't remember a time when I had been so furious in my life. I felt like I was being _cheated_.

"_Fae skata kai psofa rae malaka,_" I said viciously.

"CASSANDRA!" everyone thundered.

I didn't know when and how, but I was standing, my arms tight across my chest. "Why the hell is there a camp for demigods?" I demanded. "I mean, I know they exist, but a camp? They should have been secluded instead. Why are they learning to battle?"

Zeke, for once, was speechless.

"I know they're being hunted down by monsters." I gritted my teeth. "It only makes sense that they should train. Really." The mist closed once more. It opened swiftly to reveal a familiar centaur.

My eyes widened. "Chiron? What in Persephone's garden is he doing in there?"

The silence was enough to give me answers.

I whipped around to face Zeke. My left leg lagged and threatened to have me collapse, but even in Lance's own utter shock and disbelief, he came just in time to hold me straight. His arm entwined my waist. Lance's face was a deadly pale pallor.

"He's an instructor. Of course." Bingo!

It was unfair. Really, I understood that the demigods needed protection, but why had the best teacher been assigned to their camp? They weren't as swift compared to us, as clever as we were, and definitely not as powerful as us godlings. And the fact that they still won many battles? They were gracing us with poor images to our parents. Imbeciles. They weren't even supposed to exist, those freaks whose blood were tainted with mortals'. I used to believe they had worked hard on their own. But no. They had been given the best resources.

By our parents.

"Exactly our thoughts," someone said. It was Oliver. His gaze was far-off as he stared at Omichli.

"Is that why you called for me?" I composed myself. Zeke looked at me. "To 'prank' these demigods?"

It took a few seconds for Zeke to reply. "I wouldn't say prank, but close enough," he said. He stood straighter - his blue eyes the only thing I could clearly make out - as did the rest of the counselors. Zeke waved his hand and Omichli vanished. The grand lights of the meeting hall went on, momentarily blinding my vision. I blinked a couple of times.

"We want you to sneak inside this Camp Half-Blood," Zeke continued, "And learn as much as you can from them. Their battle techniques, activities, plans, everything. We won't, of course, allow you to start a war with them. That is what we counselors still have to discuss." The fourteen exchanged regal looks.

I blinked. "Sneak in? So you want me to pretend to be one of them?"

All of them nodded.

"Okay," I said.

Zeke looked shocked. "Okay?"

I nodded. "Yes. I agree."

Something tugged at me. Lance's firm grip around my waist caused me to turn my head towards him, and it was only when I had my head moved that I realized his face was inches from mine. His warm breath reached my cheek as he whispered, "Let them bring me."

"Excuse me?" I asked.

Lance smirked. "I saved your life," he sang.

"That does not entitle you to accompany me. I work alone."

"You could get in danger."

"I am Arete's daughter."

"You are crippled."

"Lance is right," Penelope butted in. "Given your state, you need someone to assist you. Under normal circumstance we wouldn't let you go to Camp Half-Blood injured, but I guess this wound of yours can be some kind of material to show your vulnerability. That you're half-mortal. We counselors can device a story behind that wound."

"Oh, perfect." I sighed.

Oliver looked slightly alarmed. His light brown hair was, oddly, scruffy and windblown, and his high cheekbones were washed in the color pink, probably from the cold night. "I think a counselor should be with them in order to supervise their movements." His startling turquoise eyes averted to Penelope then. "Zeke can't leave Camp Godling behind. You're the beta. Assist them."

For the first time, Penelope looked irritated. "I can't leave Zeke's side."

"Ah, ever faithful Penelope. Pun unintended."

Penelope turned beet red. Zeke, on the other hand, however silent he was, was suddenly interested in his fingers, drumming the armrest of his chair.

Fiona - Martha's half-sister - watched the both of them with narrowed eyes.

Lance chuckled silently. "Oh, man."

Hades' son finally spoke up. He had that my-dad's-part-of-the-Big-Three look about him. "Oliver, why won't you accompany them?"

I didn't know why, but I let out a low and disgusted sound, in synch with Oliver's instinctive curse. "No," Oliver said without missing a beat. "I don't even know why I should go. Penelope is more experienced."

"Exactly my point." Hades' son nodded. I think his name was Louis. "You're the same age as Cassandra and Lance. If you go with them, that would lower suspicions, and it _is _customary for demigods to travel in three. It's some kind of their silly belief."

"But not ours," Oliver said slowly, in a low voice.

"For once," Louis said, "Cooperate with us."

"Fine." Something in Oliver's eyes shut down. He had that far-off gaze again. I fidgeted awkwardly.

Lance cleared his throat. "Are we going unarmed?"

Zeke seemed to have woken from his distractedness. "Yes, it's wise that way."

"Hey, no way," I said. "At least let me bring Anthropini."

"Who?"

"What," I corrected. And then suddenly, I found myself smile. I had used it just moments ago. It was really sad that we godlings couldn't keep our weapons. Anthropini was literally a part of me. I could already feel the brass leather of the handle and the golden structure of the bow touching my palms, urging me to run back to the tool shed and steal it from camp. Besides, Camp Godling didn't have the right to keep it. Father was the one who gave me Anthropini.

"We'll just have to disguise it as well, then," Zeke said.

"What about me?" Lance frowned.

"You are the son of Hephaestus," Zeke said. "You will, without a doubt, find a way."

Lance scowled.

"Shouldn't we be lowering our identities?" I asked. "That includes our real parents."

Sabine piped in, "I've been studying lately - "

"'Bout time," Daniel murmured.

" - about rare herbs." Sabine's green eyes twinkled. "And there's one herb, Echosas, that lets you imitate... a few things." She grinned mischievously. "I'll start brewing it up. You'll find out when you guys begin your journey."

"But first!" she announced, "I need you to name me some godlings that you resemble. In habits, I mean."

Lance and I stared blankly at her. Even Oliver refocused his attention.

"Three will be fine," Sabine said.

"Uh, how about Diana Roberts?" I suggested stupidly. Admittedly, I didn't have that much friends, but I liked Diana. As a daughter of Nike, she was quite impressive with her moves. And victories. But that doesn't mean I had ever lost to her.

"Frank Armer!" Lance howled.

Sabine crinkled her nose in a delicate manner. "But... whatever. I think Cassia suits you more. You act like a son of Hermes."

Lance scowled again.

Oliver hesitated before saying, "Nathaniel."

Sabine jumped down from her tall seat. I had just realized that she was adorned in a long green silk robe, her braid falling behind her back, her expression returning to its usual vivacity. "In the meantime I'd need you three to rest and learn as much as you can from Ares - or Hermes - Thanatos, and Nike." She smiled at Lance, who looked surprised, and then at Oliver, who just stared indifferently. Sabine's eyes then landed on me, and instead of acting all hippie, she gave a small, secretive smile.


End file.
